What a fantastic few days of sailing interspersed with great hospitality and picturesque harbours. Departing Milford Haven the decision was to visit Padstow and so we did. On the way the boats enjoyed fresh winds and pods of dolphins for much of the day.  To see the Video of Dolphins playing in the boats bow wave click here. Padstow, the home of Rick Stein's famous restaurants, provided us with fish and chips and the Harbour supported the cause  by donating the berthing. It is much appreciated. The next day the boats set sail for Falmouth. This is a challenging sail with fresh winds ..read more

After some discussion the crews opted for a long sail overnight to Peel on the Isle of Man. This visit coincided with the famous TT although no racing took place on the boats day of arrival. The crews spent a pleasant day on this wonderful island and at least one skipper pledged to return for a longer stay. The islanders were extremely hospitable and the Marina waived fees which was a lovely gesture of support for the work of Macmillan in helping people living with cancer. This leg has some long distances to cover and much of it is in the Irish Sea which has a formidable reputation.  On t ..read more

After a day of rest at Oban the new crew arrived to join Florence Agnes and Galliver.  The first day was a lovely sail down the coast to Crinan.  The Crinan Canal is renowned for being the prettiest canal in the UK. The boats spent the night moored in the canal basin before making the transit to Loch Fyne. and the Clyde Estuary. There was a special surprise in store for the crew of Galliver as Richard amazed everyone by producing puff pastry - getting up at 2am to ensure the job was done perfectly. The recipients of these delicious offerings, complemented by Tiptree Jams, were ecsta ..read more

Florence Agnes decked out in her splendid Volspec decor is seen moored in Clacnaharry sea lock ready to make her way to Loch Ness and the Great Glen. The Caledonian canal is a real feat of engineering and as one commentator said - Thomas Telford didn't even have a hard hat!! The new crew members soon settled in and the boats motored through swing bridges and up two locks before stopping for the night at the Eastern end of Loch Ness. The sail after entering Loch Ness was exhilarating as the vessels sailed close to the wind  on their way to Fort Augustus and the next flight of Locks. Gall ..read more

Asked if he had enjoyed the journey Trevor commented " I had a fantastic time and want to join again" It was sad to see the crews depart for home but great to welcome new crew members ready for the border crossing into Scotland. Here the boats are seen entering the lock at Royal Quays Marina, part of the Boatfolk group, where the staff were super helpful in getting the boats refuelled with diesel and gas ready for the next challenge. As with any journey of this type there were minor repairs to be carried out while in North Shields including replacement of a battery charger and mainsheet block ..read more

Bank holiday Monday saw the crews gather together for the final safety briefing and then join our Macmillan Coffee morning guests, which included a number of previous Sail4Macmillan participants, for some light refreshments. After a quick photo call, the two vessels departed in pleasant weather and, with favourable wind and tide, made their way to Shotley.  In the words of Sarah, who had never been on a boat before: "It was fantastic!"... and that was just day one. Click here for video day one.https://vimeo.com/824403824 Florence suffered a minor breakage with the back stay tensioner fail ..read more

The two Macmillan vessels, Galliver II and Florence Agnes have been undergoing maintenance for the past couple of weeks and now it is time to load stores etc. Today we took delivery of the engine spares from Volspec, one of the key sponsors of the event. Over the next couple of days we will get deliveries from Marinestore and Tiptree Jam. We look forward to departing on Monday 1st May for Leg 1 of the journey which takes us to Newcastle. For those that want to follow the vessels then you can use vessel finder https://www.vesselfinder.com/ and search for Galliver II  MMSI number 235077164 ..read more

The Caledonian Canal certainly is a special experience! With views such as these from on deck there is little to compare it to, and in Leg 3 of the Round Britain our crews are able to take in every bit of it. This leg sums up what our cruise is all about. The exceptional engineering of the Thomas Telford designed lock staircase at Fort Augustus, and the ever-impressive Neptune’s Staircase – dwelling under the looming Ben Nevis – at Fort William, provide the opportunity for novices simply to spend time on a yacht to see what it is all about. The open waters of Loch Ness and Loch Lochy present t ..read more

The first leg of the 2022 drew to a close at Royal Quays Marina with all three crews meeting for a meal together in the marina club house. With the boats refuelled and restocked with fresh food, our new crew members joined us ready to embark on the second leg of the cruise, traversing the Scottish coastline to inverness. After a couple of short hops northward they all make it safely to Arbroath for a well-earned rest. Monet sailing with her jib onlyPassing Bell Rock lighthouse We must say a very big thank you to Bruce Fleming, the harbour master at Arbroath who, as well as being extremely welc ..read more

Leaving Lowestoft in the early hours, our three yachts embark on the longest stage of their sail up the east coast, heading for the stunning Yorkshire town of Whitby. There is something about the view of Whitby from out at sea that is simply stunning. The harbour is safely nestled away at the bottom oh huge cliffs, in the shadow of the ruined monastery that inspired Bram Stoker to write ‘Dracula’, and from here that is no surprise! But what our crews are most grateful for after a long overnight sail is Whitby’s reputation for some of the finest fish and chips in the country, and the restaura ..read more